Category: #Bookexcursion

The Art of the Swap is an intriguing and fascinating mystery of two 12 year-old girls who switch places in time. Hannah Jordan lives in the present day at The Elms,  a mansion-turned-museum with her caretaker father. In 1905, Margaret, known as Maggie, Dunlap  is an American heiress who spends time at the Elms as a guest of her aunt and uncle.  By way of a mysterious mirror, Hannah and Maggie swap places with each other.  Hannah goes back in time to 1905 whereas Maggie lands in the modern world.

At first, Hannah and Maggie are unsure of why the switch occurred.  Soon they realize that the swap took place on the very day that Maggie’s portrait painted by the now famous Mary Cassatt was stolen before its unveiling at a grand party at the Elms. Hannah and Maggie must collaborate quickly to solve the legendary art heist in order to return to their proper places in time.

I adore this novel on so many levels.  I am a huge fan of historical fiction especially when there is a mystery to be solved.  As a child, I loved the book Freaky Friday where a mother and daughter swapped places.  As an adult, my husband and I regularly vacation in Asheville, North Carolina.  On every trip, we always visit Biltmore, built by the late George Vanderbilt.  Not long after I started reading, I quickly discovered that The Elms was a real residence in Newport, Rhode Island, not far from the Marble House and The Breakers, both owned by the Vanderbilt family.  Having toured Biltmore many times, I can picture not only Hannah living in a historical mansion but also Maggie back in the Gilded Age. What a treat to experience both periods through Hannah and Maggie’s time travel.

What I love most about the novel is how the authors depict the role of girls/women has changed over the last century.  By traveling to the present day, Maggie shares that she does not want to be known as spoiled and useless, would rather read than sew, and relishes the fact that she can wear trousers, run, and climb trees in 2017.  Meanwhile, Hannah realizes that she has been raised with a completely different mindset-she can do and be anything.  Hannah though admits to Maggie that while women have equal rights on paper, women still have to earn them in people’s hearts.  At the end, both girls learn an important lesson about their purposes in life and how they can each make a lasting contribution to society, which to quote Hannah and later Maggie is pretty cool!

Special thanks to Kristine Asselin and Simon & Schuster/Aladdin for sending an ARC of The Art of the Swap to our #bookexcursion group. It will be published in February 2018 so pre-order now to reserve your copy!

“All I wanted was a friend.”

I love a good mystery so I was so excited to read Thornhill. At first, I was overwhelmed by the length of the novel, about 530 pages, but Thornhill is unlike any other book I have ever read. Not only is the novel told in two different time periods, 1982 and 2017, but also it is written in two different forms. In 1982, 12 year old Mary tells her story about living in the orphanage Thornhill through her journal entries. Fast forward to 2017, a young girl named Ella has just moved into the house near the now vacant and dilapidated Thornhill. What is fascinating about Ella’s story is it is solely depicted in haunting black and white drawings. Once I began Thornhill, I couldn’t put the novel down and pretty much read it in one sitting.

1982-The bulk of Mary’s story revolves around her relationship with another orphan who lives at Thornhill. Through Mary’s journal entries, she shares how she is tormented and bullied by this girl. At first I felt total pity for Mary, but this feeling began changing to some doubt and uncertainty; since Mary controls the narrative, the reader is only privy to Mary’s point of view, and I was never quite sure of her reliability.

2017-Looking out her window one day, Ella spies a shadow of a girl on the grounds of Thornhill. The eerie yet poignant illustrations reveal Ella’s attempt to uncover what she is really seeing- is a real girl or a ghost? I must admit I hesitated to turn each page for fear of what Ella would discover. Through the drawings, the readers learns a little more about Ella’s life which made my heart break for her.

Towards the end of the novel, Mary’s and Ella’s stories begin to intersect and the harrowing ending gave me chills that remained long after I finished reading, which is precisely what a good thriller should do.

Special thanks to the author Pam Smy for providing our #bookexcursion group with a copy of Thornhill.

Christmas should be a time for celebrating but on December 20th, the Vanderbeeker family’s reclusive landlord Mr. Beiderman abruptly informs the family that he is not renewing their Harlem brownstone lease. To make matters worse, the family must be moved out by the end of the month. Desperate not to leave the only house that is home to them. the five Vankerbeeker children, twins Jessie and Isa, only boy Oliver, pet loving Hyacinth and creative Laney embark on Operation Be Nice to Biederman in an effort to change his mind and give their parents the Best Christmas Present Ever.

During their first Beiderman meeting, Isa proclaims they need to find “a way to show him that us living here is better than us not living here.”  Throughout the story, the Vanderbeeker children try various ideas to win over Biederman but sadly, their efforts fail miserably.  Finally, the Vanderbeeker children come to the conclusion that perhaps simple acts of kindness may be the best plan. When the children and their parents though do learn details about Biederman’s past, they realize that home is much more than the place you live. Home is family.

I absolutely fell in love with the Vanderbeekers! Like any family, all is not perfect but it is clear by their words and actions how much they all care and support each other.  And who can forget all their precious pets especially Frantz the basset hound who was Etta’s favorite!

Karina Yan Glaser’s story is so heartwarming that I was so sad that it had to end. Fortunately, readers only have to wait a year, for another Vanderbeeker adventure will be published in Fall 2018.

Special thanks to Karina Yan Glaser for providing #bookexcursion with an advance reading copy of this beautiful book.  Pre-order now, for The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street will be released on October 3, 2017.